


Resignation

by HopeCoppice



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Fallen Angels, Fluff, Gen, Heaven, Post-Almost Apocalypse (Good Omens), The Next War, sauntering vaguely
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-16 21:34:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21043127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeCoppice/pseuds/HopeCoppice
Summary: Aziraphale has had enough of Heaven, so he quits.The Fall isn't quite what he was expecting.





	Resignation

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when I say "Wouldn't it be funny if...?", then write the idea down and forget about until I hit a block with something else. Enjoy!

"I really don't think this is necessary, Gabriel. We both know you can't destroy me."

Gabriel smiles, the Order of Destruction in his hand.

"You've got quite the wrong idea, Aziraphale. We're willing to welcome you back, let bygones be bygones."

Behind him, Uriel looks nervous, but that's not what worries Aziraphale. What worries him is that Michael and Sandalphon are smirking.

"...Just as soon as you've finished that one little duty you should have taken care of at the _ literal _ beginning of time."

He holds out the order, and Aziraphale inspects it, hardly even surprised to find that rather than his own name, the 'subject' field reads _ Demon Crowley_.

"Absolutely not."

"We thought you might say that, but-"

"No. You're not going to talk me into it. I quit."

"What?"

"I resign my membership of the Host, I forfeit the titles and privileges thereof, I _ will not be a part of this. _Not any more, Gabriel. We're not on the same side. I quit."

There's a moment of hushed stillness before the Fall he knows is coming. Aziraphale takes the opportunity to brace himself, to take a deep breath and appreciate the fact that for once, he has no regrets.

Then heat flares, and a great wind rips through the calm of Heaven… and Gabriel Falls with a shriek. Michael Falls, clutching at Uriel, and Uriel is powerless to help her because they are Falling too. Sandalphon scrabbles at the air, like a cartoon character who's just realised he's run off a cliff, and then plummets downward with the rest of them. Aziraphale makes the mistake of looking down and his stomach lurches as he realises that the Archangels are just a few of the millions of tiny lights dropping away from him. From Heaven.

He doesn't know how long he stands there, watching the lights fall out of sight, but he's startled into awareness by the sound of the door at the far end of the room crashing open. He turns, ready to face the reckoning that must be coming, and instead finds Crowley, frantic with worry.

"I got your note- I thought they'd killed you- must have tricked the escalator somehow, it's never worked before, let's go before they-" He stops, looking around in bewilderment. "Where _ is _everyone?"

"I resigned," Aziraphale tells him, in lieu of an answer.

"You- what?"

"I resigned. And everyone- they _ all Fell, _Crowley. I thought- it was supposed to be me- what have I done?"

“Nothing they didn’t deserve.” Aziraphale must look as stricken as he feels, because Crowley takes pity on him. “Look, angel, don’t go all Shadwell on me now. You couldn’t have made them Fall. Only one being in the whole universe can do that, and that’s the one who made it.”

“Well- well, yes. I know that, of course. But how-?”

“Perhaps She’s on your side, after all.” Crowley shrugs. “You always were the only angel worth a bless.”

“Our side, dear.”

That’s when it hits him.

“_Our side_. You said it yourself - all of them against humanity, and our side - my dear, it takes at least two sides to have a war, and now they’re _ all _in Hell-”

“-They’ll either be too busy having an infernal civil war or they’ll have to get along if they want to stand a chance against the world.”

“And, in the meantime, we’re here. Heaven is on our side- Heaven _ is _our side.” He smiles gently, realising that Crowley hasn’t made a very important connection yet. “Welcome home, dear.”

As he speaks, the stark white lines of the office fade away, to be replaced with the soft rolling cloudscape of old, the sun peeking around the edges and making each little puff of water vapour _ shine_. When Aziraphale turns to Crowley, his eyes are shining too.

“Nice to have a new clubhouse,” he shrugs, but Aziraphale can see how much it means to him.

“Oh, Crowley. My dear boy-”

“Don’t make a big deal out of it, angel. It’s not some big redemption arc,” Crowley insists, and Aziraphale falls obediently silent. He sees the smirk curl the edges of the demon’s mouth and knows what’s coming before he says it. “I just sauntered vaguely upwards.”


End file.
